The Midlands’ newest wool show is now just weeks away, and organisers have announced two great additions to the already packed line-up.

Now visitors to Wool @ J13, which will take place at Lower Drayton Farm near Penkridge in Staffordshire on 13 & 14 May, can bring along their wool stash to trade in for fresh stock and also buy and sell whole fleeces. This is on top of a packed programme of talks, workshops and demonstrations with great shopping and live music to boot.

The Yarn Stash Swop Shop will run all weekend with visitors invited to bring along their stash and add it to a mountain of woollen yarn from which they can select to take home in return.

Meanwhile, the fleece sale will be handled by Karen Griffiths of The Woolly Roadshow and a team from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Staffordshire Spinning Group. A smallholder, spinner and woollen mill owner with a passion for education, Karen will share her knowledge of all things fleece and be on hand to guide both buyers and sellers.

Local wool artist Ingrid Wagner, who is heading up the show team, says:
‘We are so excited with the new additions to the programme – I could write a book about the places where I’ve heard that wool lovers hide their stashes. In the wardrobe, under the sofa, behind the sofa, under the bed, in the garden shed ‘¦. It’s their guilty pleasure, and the Stash Swop Shop will allow them to clear the decks and trade in their stash for some fresh material.

‘In terms of the fleece sale, having Karen and her team on hand to run the sale and share their expertise is a real boon and great news for anyone looking to sell or buy fleeces. It is not a straightforward process ‘“ considerations include identifying the different parts of the fleece and grading it for quality, which is especially important for spinners. Sellers will be charged 10% commission on each fleece sold and we are delighted that this money will be donated to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.’

Wool @ J13 will take place on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th May 2017 at Lower Drayton Farm near Penkridge, Staffordshire – handily placed just 1 mile from J13 of the M6. If you wish to swap your stash or sell a fleece at the show, simply bring it along in a bag and head to the relevant area of the event.
For more details and to book tickets for Wool @ J13 head to https://wool-j13.uk/tickets/